


Love or Pride?

by Starshe11



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Based on a Vocaloid Song, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-29
Updated: 2018-03-29
Packaged: 2019-04-14 11:46:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14135421
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starshe11/pseuds/Starshe11
Summary: Lightning-quick draws and shows of hands. The glint of the dice in the dim lights of the casino. Who will win this game of trickery? | Based on the song "Ikasama Casino" by Hitoshizuku x Yama-P





	Love or Pride?

**Author's Note:**

> Seven of Swords is the tarot card for “deceit/trickery”.
> 
> Lightning-quick reference to my other HighSpecs fic, "On Flowers and Loathing".

It all happened in a flash.

The light clattering of the ball as it spun in the roulette.

Lightning quick draws and shows of hands.

The glint of the dice in the dim lights of the casino.

Who will win this game of trickery?

Now…

To the Couple’s Stage.

\--oOo--

The Seven of Swords Casino was one of the most exclusive establishments in Lestallum, known only to a select few. The owners, a pair of siblings from a far off land, set up shop in Lucis, intrigued by the envy and desire that swirled about in the undercity. The casino prided itself on three things: its secrecy, the skill of its dealers, and most importantly…

 

The annual Ikasama Tournament.

 

The rules of the tourney were simple: Pay an entry fee of 10,000 Gil, win all of your games, obtain the grand prize. Every year, all of the patrons of the casino would scramble to enter, sacrificing everything they held dear…

All for the sake of 300,000 Gil and bragging rights as the “The Ultimate Trickster”.

 

It was now the final bout of the evening, the remaining two contestants seated at the exclusive Couple’s Table as the eliminated parties watched with bated breath.

One male, the dim lights reflecting off his spectacles and giving his eyes a sinister glint.

One female, the dull glow of her black armor casting her face in an ominous light.

 

Both were perfectly relaxed: hands folded neatly, legs crossed. But their eyes told a different story: fierce greens clashing against each other in a battle for dominance, neither one backing down.

An eternity of silence had passed between the two before the male spoke, his smooth accent filling the air.

 

“What’s the final game then, Commodore?”

 

Aranea’s lips instinctively twitched into a smirk at her competitor’s words, noting the air of confidence about the Insomnian King’s royal adviser. She could tell he seemed sure of his success tonight, even after she had mercilessly beaten his friends into submission earlier that night in poker and roulette.

 

(Though to be fair to him, he took down Biggs and Wedge with as much tenacity during their bouts.)

 

“A game of trickery. What else is there, Ignis?” She replied, not bothering with any pretenses. Why bother trying to deceive him, this clever man who she had fought side by side with just a few weeks ago in Steyliff Grove?

He had caught her eye the moment they fought against each other in Fort Vaullerey, his beautifully fluid movements ultimately proving to be a distraction during her battle against the pretty boy prince and his retinue.

 

Tonight, she promised herself that wouldn’t happen again. However, watching his smooth movements from the corner of her eye as he arranged the dice…

It proved to be quite the daunting task.

‘Damn bastard.’

 

“An odds bet of three would be too boring for a final match, wouldn’t you agree?” Aranea purred, adjusting her position so her forest green eyes would better be seen by the man sitting across from her.

 

Glinting with the intent to kill.

 

“While that may be the case,” Ignis replied casually, a half-smirk gracing his lips. “What do you suppose we bet on then?”

“Something worth much more than money, Specs,” she said, shooting him a Cheshire Cat-like grin. “We’re both pretty damn good at this business, after all.”

“Namely?” Ignis leaned forward now, a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Aranea, wanting to tease him a little further, pressed a finger to her lips in mock contemplation. After a beat, she gave him her answer.

 

“Whoever loses belongs to the winner for one night, in both body and soul.”

 

Ignis’ eyes widened a fraction at her words, surprised that she would even suggest such. From the crowd, he could hear Prompto’s gasps and Noctis’ hushed whispers to Gladiolus. He knew full well the risk of betting all of himself in a high-stakes game such as this, but…

‘With this woman, I cannot help myself.’

 

“Very well then,” Ignis replied smoothly, schooling his features back into a neutral mask. “The loser shall belong to the winner irrevocably for a night. She must do whatever the winner asks of her.”

“She?” Aranea chuckled. “Pretty confident of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Still,” she continued, the dangerous look in her eyes intensifying. “I wouldn’t count my chocobos before they’ve hatched, Specs.”

Ignis let out a humorless laugh of his own, replying, “You’re quite right. But enough with the chatter…”

 

“Let’s begin.”

——XV——-

The pair played well into the night.

Both cheated at certain points, but that was unavoidable in a tournament that relied as much on trickery as it did luck and skill.

The dice is rolled over and over again, catching the dim light each time. Each glint is a secret, a story to be told.

 

Over the course of the game, Aranea had the chance to think back on and savor the fleeting moments she had with the bespectacled adviser. Their first meeting, the excursion to Steyliff Grove, the times she would come by to help take down the daemons in the area, the incident with the flowers and the kiss that came after…

“Your turn, Aranea,” Ignis said, moving to hand her the dice. The dragoon hesitated for a fraction of a second before accepting them, feeling the warmth of his touch despite the interference from his gloves and her gauntlets. She played around with them for a bit, the quiet clacking the only noise in the room.

 

Ignis, who had returned to his seat, was watching the movement intently as he felt himself being taken over by an inexplicable longing for the commodore. Emerald orbs soon traced the curve of her breasts, moving up to the ivory white of her throat and stopping at the fullness of her lips. Astrals, those lips…

 

How he wished to capture them in an all-consuming kiss. How he craved it.

 

“…Need a break, lover boy?” Aranea asked, still fiddling with the dice in her hand. Her face was a perfect mask of neutrality, one that mirrored Ignis’ own.

“I should be asking you that,” Ignis replied smoothly, a devilish smirk playing on his lips. “Especially since you are the one who requested we change the stakes.”

 

Aranea held back a frustrated growl as he spoke, hating the way his silken tone sent shivers up and down her spine.

‘Damn bastard with his sexy accent.’

She kept her mouth shut as she focused her attention on the dice, the red plastic shimmering like rubies as it caught slivers of the dim light.

 

Click. Clack. Click. Clack.

 

The sound echoed all around the room, the friends of both competitors looking back and forth between the pair as the unspoken question hung in the air.

Who would break first?

 

CLACK.

 

All eyes in the room turned to Aranea as she snapped up the dice and made her way over to Ignis, eyes clouded over with want.

The adviser on the other hand could only watch as she hovered over him, her lips curled into a dangerous smile. He tried to look away, to not get swept up in the moment. Unfortunately, his eyes wandered too low and suddenly…

 

He had her pinned beneath him, both parties leaning against the table.

“Aranea…” Ignis whispered, oblivious to the gasps and murmurs of the crowd…to the sound of the dice as it clattered out of the dragoon’s hand.

“Shut up,” she growled breathlessly, drawing herself closer until barely an inch separated them.

 

“Just..shut up.”


End file.
